Peru’s bishops call for "protection of democratic life"
Catholic leaders are deeply concerned that the South American country still has no officially designated president nearly three weeks after the June 6 run-off elections
The Catholic bishops of Peru have voiced deep concern over the state of democracy in their South American country, three weeks after a second round of the presidential election produced no clear winner.
Thousands of demonstrators went back to the streets in Peru’s major cities last Saturday waving banners that said "no to communism" and posters of their preferred candidates.
The second ballot on June 6 was inconclusive, leaving the country with no officially designated head of state.
Pedro Castillo, a teacher from the radical left, received a little more than 50% of the vote. His rival, Keiko Fujimori, a representative of the conservative party Fuerza Popular, garnered 48% of the vote.
But Peru’s electoral authority is still not able to publicly confirm this tight result.
Furthermore, the opposition has filed nearly a thousand appeals to challenge the outcome.
"Building of bridges"
In a message published on Saturday, June 26, in the midst of this thorny context of uncertainty, Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, who is president of both the Peruvian Episcopal Conference and of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), called for a "strengthening of democracy" and a "building of bridges for harmony and peace in the country".
"The Church believes in democracy because it is the system that best protects and promotes the rights and participation of citizens," he said in a June 26 message.
“The Church defends the democratic system, encourages efforts to improve it," the archbishop said, making clear that it also "supports the results indicated by the electoral bodies".
Archbishop Cabrejos Vidarte then posted a message on Twitter urging people to "act with serenity, discernment, and a determined attitude of vigilance to protect democratic life".
Fear of violence
The archbishop pointed out that "the future of Peru depends on everyone".
He also insisted on "the right of all the citizens to express their opinions on the national situation" but that they do so "without resorting to violence, whether it be physical or verbal".
Peru is preparing to celebrate the bicentenary of national independence on July 28.
The president of the country’s episcopal conference said he and his fellow bishops hope the anniversary "will find a democratic Peru, as it has been defended with so much effort in recent decades".